Each month, Friends of Caroline will have guest writers submit a blog post. These topics are selected based on what we believe our followers would like to read about or need more information on. Should you have a question or suggestion, please email us at info@friendsofcarolinehospice. com. We’d love to hear from you.

If money is the lifeblood of an organization, then volunteers are the backbone. Volunteering is something anyone can do to help a community no matter their age, educational background, or other demographic characteristic and with more than 800 non-profit organizations in Beaufort County, it’s easy to get involved. It’s also easy to get overwhelmed with asks for monetary donations. When an organization’s mission pulls at your heartstrings and you don’t have extra money to donate, remember the old saying ‘time is money’. According to Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs, the national value of a volunteer hour is $24.69. That’s more than $1200 a year for one hour per week of volunteering. We can also look at volunteers as invaluable. Helping our neighbors and serving our communities is truly priceless and even though we do not expect anything in return for our time there are positive benefits from volunteering. Volunteering is a way to meet friends, develop skills for future employment, and improves our quality of life. You can volunteer your skills from a current or previous job or use the opportunity to do something completely different from your everyday life. Friends of Caroline has opportunities for all ages and skill sets. Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation require 5% of a patient’s care to come from volunteers. Our Patient & Family Support volunteers visit patients in their place of residence and provide support through friendship. These visits also provide respite for the patient’s family and caregivers. Professional Services Volunteers provide support to our main office, departments, and programs. Some assist in our office providing administrative...

Hospice Denial When Lindsay asked me to write on “Total Pain, “what was the first thing I did?? I denied getting the email for nearly a week! Then I realized I was acting like a normal human being! The pain of writing a blog immediately lessened when I faced the reality of writing and picked a subject that might help others find a way to deal with a difficult advanced chronic medical diagnosis. So what just happened? I accepted the assignment and took control of the blog topic, which empowered me to be myself and yet help others (hopefully!). None of us want to put ourselves nor loved ones in the focus of an end of life condition, however, the majority of us will face this reality. How we approach this reality of an end of life condition may prevent constructively dealing with the associated grief. Here is where none of us want ourselves or family to linger. Or another way to state this painful condition, if grief is well handled, the remaining life can have meaning and value. The problem is that grief of this magnitude is usually difficult to overcome by most individuals alone. This is where the team of Friends of Caroline can help. You don’t have to be alone with the personal emotional destruction of denial and grief. Friends of Caroline can help you find meaning, value, and peace at this critical time of life with empowering information, pain control, social and spiritual support. How?? I keep referring to the “team” at Friends of Caroline, which consist of a medical director, 24/7 nursing availability,...

Grief is the distance between what your head knows, but your heart refuses to believe. Traveling that distance can be one of the greatest challenges you face. Losing someone you love by death, whether it is sudden or after a long illness, is an emotional roller coaster. Many people say to themselves they should get over it, but the truth is when some you love dies, it leaves a hole in your life that takes time and work before you can move forward with your life. Moving forward on your grief journey includes coping with loss. When someone you love dies, your emotions become exaggerated and the grief distracting. Managing grief-inflated emotions and distractions takes time and energy. It can leave you physically exhausted and emotionally drained. Moving forward also includes coping with change. Losing a spouse, child, parent, best friend, or close family member brings change that impacts social and relational networks, personal spirituality, lifestyle, and responsibility. It changes who you are. Friends of Caroline offers support groups and one-on-one meetings that make managing grief easier and more effective. Although the way each person grieves is unique, having someone who listens without judgment and allows you to feel what you feel is empowering and healing. Support groups provide an opportunity for those who grieve to share thoughts and feelings with others who have lost a loved one, who share a common compassion and empathy for one another. It also allows members to share what they have learned from the grief journey with others who can benefit from those lessons. These groups are free and open to the public:...

As our first topic, I thought it would be nice to start with the basics, or maybe not so basic after all. Most people have no idea what hospice and palliative mean. I’m going to break it down for you. Hospice-comes for the word “hospitality.” The use is dated back to medieval times. “Come stay at my house and I’ll take care of you” philosophy for ill-travelers. Hospice care officially originated in Europe. Now, hospice care has spread and can be anywhere a patient calls home. What does the word mean now? It means that you or a loved one are no longer seeking active treated to cure and treatment is for the things we can control. I get calls every day with specific questions about what a patient can do and what can they not do. The bottom line is that if treatments were given, will this disease go away? Can I receive breathing treatments? Yes. Can I receive radiation? Yes. Can I go to the eye doctor or dentist? Yes, and yes! Hospice is free and everyone who meets eligibility can receive care, insured, uninsured, young and mature. Does your doctor have to recommend hospice? No, they don’t. Matter of fact, most doctors are afraid of the word hospice like many of us. It is taboo. “If I say hospice then it may make someone die sooner.” WRONG. Hospice patients live longer. WHY? Because we are treating things we can help with and there is support like when doctors made house calls. Hospice is a great thing. What does hospice include? A complete medical team to include...

Recent news from Friends of Caroline Hospice

FRIENDS of Caroline Hospice is excited to announce that Camp Caroline will be held on June 25, 2018, from 9am-4pm at the Port Royal Sound Foundation.

Staffed by FRIENDS of Caroline and trained student bereavement grief support facilitators, Camp Caroline is a bereavement camp for students in first through twelfth grades. Designed to provide a safe, compassionate environment where students who have lost a loved one can learn to acknowledge and express their feelings of grief, they learn how to share their grief experience with each other, to recognize the support systems around them, and to positively cope with their grief emotions.

The camp concludes with family members joining the students to celebrate the lives of the loved ones lost.

This year we are thrilled to incorporate learning about The Lowcountry Ecosystem, nature trail walking and a boating eco-tour.

Friends of Caroline Hospice is excited to host our annual fashion show event, “Fashion for Compassion”, on Friday, April 20th starting at 5pm at Tabby Place in historic downtown Beaufort. Now in its 15th year, the event features the latest fashions from Beaufort’s local shops and boutiques, a live auction, door prizes and lots more.

Guests will have the opportunity to see hand-selected outfits from more than 15 local shops covering women’s, men’s and kid’s fashions and accessories with volunteer models from our community strutting their stuff on the runway.

It’s time for some food, music and fun! The 9th annual Bands, Brews & BBQ is bringing two days of food, music and fun with wings, barbecue, craft beers, live music and kids’ activities on Friday and Saturday, February 23rd & 24th on Paris Ave, hosted by the Town of Port Royal.
This is an official South Carolina Barbecue Association sanctioned event which kicks off the 2018 season. The event benefits FRIENDS of Caroline Hospice.

Friday night is the Wing Throw Down from 6 to 9 p.m. where you can sample wing recipes from participating cookers while enjoying live music from two local bands and a Kids Fun Zone and more.

Saturday is the BBQ tasting day from noon to 4 p.m. with cook teams from across the Southeast serving their award-winning wings and butts. Four different bands will be providing the entertainment for the day and the kids can enjoy the Fun Zone, just for them. On stages for Saturday are Broke Locals, The Brewer Band, Frogmore Stu and Chris Jones.

Awards will be presented on Saturday by sanctioned South Carolina BBQ Association judges.

General admission passes are available online in advance for $10with children 12 and under free.

This year, Friends of Caroline Hospice is bringing together two medical professionals with very different backgrounds – but a shared passion for caring for people their whole lives through – for the Annual Festival of Trees celebration in Port Royal.

Medical Director Dr. Gordon Krueger and Board of Directors Member Mary Beth Donovan are teaming up as co-chairs for the annual fundraiser, which kicks off the holiday season for the Beaufort area with a magical weekend of creatively decorated Christmas trees, twinkling lights and even snow.

The 30th Annual Festival of Trees to benefit Friends of Caroline Hospice is one of Beauforts most beloved holiday celebrations and the 2017 event continues a tradition that started thirty years ago, presenting several days of holiday fun.

The event kicks off with an Opening Gala on Thursday, November 30th, at The Shed on Paris Avenue in Port Royal featuring a preview of 60+ beautifully and whimsically decorated trees available for purchase, a big silent auction, music, wine, beer and lots of food from ten of Beaufort‟s best local restaurants. Santa will also be in attendance to have some fun and get some photos with attendees.